


A Wedding

by CrazyMaryT



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Seven Days of Philinda, a bit of angst, always is with these two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-24 22:28:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6169015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyMaryT/pseuds/CrazyMaryT
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Melinda May isn't a fan of weddings. But for her dear friends she wouldn't miss this one. At least that's what she's telling herself as she ignores the ulterior motive lurking in the background.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Wedding

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for the [Seven Days of Philinda](https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/philinda-7-days) challenge over at Tumblr
> 
> 03-Mar - A Day to Dance
> 
> I've done what the MCU seems to do a lot - play fast and loose with the timeline and canon. I don't think anyone will mind too much.

She’d been having a good time in spite of not wanting to be there. She had tried her best to ignore the invitation the moment it had arrived on her desk. After weeks and weeks of Nat pestering her she’d given in and accepted. Clint had looked so happy and Laura had made a beautiful bride.  


The ceremony was a modest one. A small number of Laura’s family was in attendance with a select few from Shield. Melinda had scanned the crowd looking for him when she had arrived. Disappointed when it became evident he wasn’t there. _You know he’s the reason you are here._  


If anyone should be here it should be him. All those working within Shield knew Clint considered him more than just a friend. She’d heard the rumours years back about the two men dating but she never knew for certain. He always kept that part of his life private. Even from her.  


She watched as husband and wife stood closely for their first dance. The weather had cooperated giving them a sunny spring day at the farm. Melinda watched them sway slowly together on the small dance floor that had been set up. She wished again for him to be here.  


Nat sat beside her handing Melinda another glass of champagne.  


“Glad you came?” the younger woman asked.  


“A little bit.” She sipped at her drink.  


“Clint’s glad you are here.”  


“Is he now?” Melinda teased taking Nat’s untouched glass.  


“Trust me on this. Partners know.”  


She grew somber again at her friend’s words.  


“I’m sure there’s a good reason for his absence.” Nat said.  


Melinda didn’t say anything else the two agents sitting quietly watching those around them. She hadn’t seen him since he had helped her move of out Andrew’s house. He had tried to talk her out of moving but that had gone as well as their conversation concerning the divorce and the transfer. Realising it was a fruitless attempt he’d become silent for the rest of that day, both moving the boxes and furniture with barely a word said between them. He had stayed to cook dinner for her in the new place but after that all their contact had been via phone or email. That had been almost a year ago. She’d left her self-imposed exile to see him and he hadn’t even shown up. She missed him. It was as simple as that.  


“I was going to get you a refill but I think you’d much rather _not_ talk to him.” Nat said breaking through her musings.  


There at the edge of the dance floor congratulating the couple was Phil Coulson. He hugged Clint and looked to where she was sitting. He was wearing a dark coloured jacket and trousers with a lavender shirt sans tie. Phil smiled and waved at her. He moved towards her slowly, favouring his left side. Broken ribs she guessed. As he got closer she noticed the bandage wrapped around his right hand and bruising along his jaw and left cheek.  


Nat was walking towards him. Melinda hadn’t even realised the younger woman had left her side. Nat stopped him. He smiled at something the redhead said to him. Nat smiled back at him as he responded. Nat touched his arm gently before giving him a light kiss on his bruised cheek. The younger woman left still smiling and shaking her head.  


“You went into Dad mode again didn’t you? I bet you called her by her full name too.” She said to him as he finally approached her table.  


“Nice to see you too May.”  


“You’re a bit late. But I think given the state you’re in all is forgiven.”  


“Nice to see you too.” He repeated.  


“It is good to see you Phil.” She told him standing to touch his jacket lapel. “No tie?”  


“Couldn’t quite make it with this.” He held up his injured hand but pulled the tie out of his pocket with his other. It was a shade of dark purple.  


“That’s cute.”  


“It’s not every day Hawkeye gets married.” He said to her while stuffing the tie back into jacket pocket. “Dance with me since I missed almost everything else.”  


“Can you manage it?”  


“For you most certainly.” He smiled at her and she couldn’t stop from returning it. She could pretend it was just like the old days.  


He offered her his left hand and led them to the dance floor. He placed his arms around her as she did the same and they began moving to the music. It was some mushy love song she hadn’t heard before but Phil seemed to be enjoying it.  


“So you want to tell me how a field agent gets all beat to hell? Aren’t you supposed to be just running the missions?”  


“Well the best specialist left the field and Strike team Delta had a wedding to plan. So I was stuck with second best.”  


“Phil . . .”  


“No more work. Tell me about the ceremony. Tell me how you’ve been. Tell me about the dog you got.”  


Melinda shook her head. Trust him to know about that. The song changed and she told him all he wanted to know. For once he was silent as she took over the conversation. They danced through four more songs. It felt good standing there with him. As much as she hated to dance being with him made her feel almost normal again. She could ignore the self-loathing she felt. She could pretend she was the Melinda May from their academy days. Peggy Carter and Nick Fury’s protégés. Coulson and May. May and Coulson. Partners. Not _The Cavalry_.  


“Melinda.” He said softly when she stopped dancing. He knew where her train of thought had taken her. That’s how connected they had been and still were.  


She didn’t get to respond as Fury came upon them.  


“Coulson! I just got off the phone with the hospital.” Their superior looked between them before setting his sights on Melinda. “Damn fool up and checked himself out against Doctor’s orders.”  


“Sir I . . .”  


“Shut it Agent! This is your last dance. Then your partner here is going to take your ass back to the hospital. There’s a Quinjet waiting. Think you can handle that Agent May?”  


“Yes Sir.”  


Fury didn’t say anything more to them choosing to walk away while muttering about the damn hardheaded fools he had working for him.  


“Phil I can’t believe you.”  


“It was Clint’s wedding. I couldn’t miss it.” He looked down and added softly, “And I wanted to see you.”  


Melinda didn’t know what to say. He had missed her as much as she had missed him. As they stood together the song had ended.  


"I guess that’s our queue.” He said when he looked back up.  


“Come on.”  


He pulled out a set of car keys and a prescription bottle. Handing her the keys and opening the bottle.  


“Since your driving I’ll take a few more of these.” He told her dry swallowing at least two of the pills.  


“You drove a car while under the influence?” she couldn’t believe it. She wasn't the only one who had changed since Bahrain.  


“So you’ve been drinking champagne.”  


Sighing heavily she went and spoke to Clint and Laura. Wishing them all the best and then let Nat know she was leaving. They walked to his car in silence. She waited for him to put on his seat belt before looking at him once more.  


“I think I’ll sleep a bit if you don’t mind.”  


“That’s fine.” She told him pulling the car out on the main road. “We’ve got about a half hour.”  


“That was nice. I haven’t seen Clint that happy since Cooper was born. I’m glad he was finally able to get married. Fury must have pulled some big strings for that.”  


He was starting to babble. She figured the pain killers were kicking in.  


“At least we got to dance. That was nice.”  


“Phil?”  


“Go to sleep.”  


He mumbled thank you and closed his eyes. It felt like the end of past missions. It felt good to be together again. Maybe one day she could forgive herself and they could be true partners once more. Maybe one day she would have his back again.


End file.
